Fish assemblages respond to forest cover in small Amazonian basins

The removal of native forest affects stream characteristics, processes, and organisms at the local scale. We compared the structure of fish assemblages between microbasins impacted by deforestation and those in pristine condition in the Amazonian Machado River basin, Brazil. Fish were collected with seine and dip nets along an 80-m stretch of 28 streams. At each site, we recorded physical, chemical, and land-water ecotone variables. We collected 6,586 specimens of 109 species, being 39 and 18 of them exclusively of forested and deforested streams, respectively. Non-significant differences were found for abundance and species richness between forested and deforested streams. A total of four main trophic groups were identified. Carnivores were more abundant in forested streams, whereas herbivores, omnivores and detritivores species were the most abundant in deforested streams. The deforested streams showed higher abundance and richness of algae and periphyton consumers, while forested streams presented higher abundance and richness of invertebrate consumers. Forested streams presented longer foodchains, higher occurrence and abundance of species that have more specialized habits and are intolerant to degraded environments, whereas generalist and tolerant species predominated in deforested streams. We conclude that species composition in Amazonian streams predictably responds to the degree of forest cover.     

The organisation of fish assemblages in the regulated Lima basin, Northern Portugal

In order to understand the structure of fish assemblages in the modified Lima basin (Northern Portugal), two distinct datasets concerning the presence and abundance of fish species were subjected to multivariate analysis. On the River Lima two types of flow modification are present within kilometres of one another: (a) a reduced and constant flow due to hypolimnetic release; and (b) an intense and irregular flow. A comparison of their influence on fish assemblages revealed a gradient of assemblage types from tributaries to main river sites. The latter were characterised by a strong dominance of cyprinids, particularly Iberian barbel (Barbus bocagei). The former harboured two kinds of fish assemblages: those closer to the river mouth were dominated by the cyprinids Iberian chub (Squalius carolitertii) and Iberian nase (Chondrostoma polylepis), which were also frequently present in the main river; while in those further upstream the predominant species was the brown trout (Salmo trutta). Although explanatory variables such as distance from source, altitude, substrate coarseness and width were the primary correlates of fish assemblage composition, dam construction and flow regulation also had a significant effect upon assemblage structure, particularly by: i) reducing the importance of migratory species; ii) constraining the presence of trout in the regulated segments; and iii) simplifying the community, especially in the case of the constant and reduced flow regime.     

Nutrient export via overland flow from a cultivated field of an Ultisol in southern China

Understanding the influence of complex interactions among hydrological factors, soil characteristics and biogeochemical functions on nutrient dynamics in overland flow is important for efficiently managing agricultural nonpoint pollution. Experiments were conducted to assess nutrient export from Ultisol soils in the Sunjia catchment, Jiangxi province, southern China, between 2003 and 2005. Four plots were divided into two groups: two peanut plots and two agroforestry (peanut intercropped with citrus) plots. During the study period, we collected water samples for chemical analyses after each rainfall event that generated overland flow to assess nutrient export dynamics. The concentrations of potassium (K) and nitrate‐N (NO₃^––N) in overland flow were higher during the wetting season (winter and early spring). This reflects the solubility of K and NO₃^––N, the accumulation of NO₃^––N during the dry season and an increase in desorption processes and mixing with pre‐event water caused by prolonged contact with soil in areas with long‐duration, low‐intensity rainfall. In contrast, concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were higher during the wet season (late March to early July) and during the dry season (mid‐July to the end of September or early October). This was due to the interaction between specific hydrological regimes, the properties of the Ultisol and particulate transport processes. Variations in nutrient concentrations during storm events further identified that event water was the dominant source of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, and pre‐event water was the dominant source of NO₃^––N. In addition, the results obtained for the different land uses suggest that agroforestry practices reduce nutrient loss via overland flow. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Empirical relationships between diversity of invertebrate communities and altitude in rivers: Application to biomonitoring

The relationships between the diversity of invertebrate communities and the altitude of sampling sites were analysed in 438 benthic samples, collected between 1982 and 1991, in 56 rivers of western Switzerland. Diversity, estimated from total number of taxa (genus or family) and from number of taxa intolerant of pollution, was positively correlated with increasing altitude. In contrast, density of human population and the level of organic pollution were negatively correlated with increasing altitude. Therefore, the upstream increase of invertebrate diversity was attributed to the decrease of human population which is the main source of organic pollution. In this study, altitude was used, instead of organic pollution, to predict diversity. Empirical relationships between diversity and altitude were applied to surveys of water quality to describe the general altitudinal pattern characteristic for each region and to single out anomalous sites and rivers. In addition, changes in the altitudinal patterns of diversity can be used to monitor the recovery of rivers from pollution.     

The impact of rural land management changes on soil hydraulic properties and runoff processes: results from experimental plots in upland UK

To develop an evidence base to help predict the impacts of land management change on flood generation, four experimental sites were established on improved grassland used for sheep grazing at the Pontbren catchment in upland Wales, UK. At each site, three plots were established where surface runoff was measured, supplemented by measurements of soil infiltration rates and soil and vegetation physical properties. Following baseline monitoring, treatments were applied to two of the plots: exclusion of sheep (ungrazed) and exclusion of sheep and planting with native broadleaf tree species (tree planted), with the third plot acting as a control (grazed pasture). Due to a particularly dry summer that occurred pre‐treatment, the soil hydrological responses were initially impacted by the effects of the climate on soil structure. Nevertheless, treatments did have a clear influence on soil hydrological response. On average, post‐treatment runoff volumes were reduced by 48% and 78% in ungrazed and tree‐planted plots relative to the control, although all results varied greatly over the sites. Five years following treatment application, near‐surface soil bulk density was reduced and median soil infiltration rates were 67 times greater in plots planted with trees compared to grazed pasture. The results illustrate the potential use of upland land management for ameliorating local‐scale flood generation but emphasise the need for long‐term monitoring to more clearly separate the effects of land management from those of climatic variability. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.